Unified Communications Industry News

[January 09, 2013]

Microsoft to retire Messenger on March 15

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 09, 2013 (Xinhua via COMTEX) --
Microsoft on Wednesday
announced that its instant messaging service Messenger will be
officially shut down on March 15, reminding users to move to
Skype, the real-time Internet communication service it bought in
2011.

In an email to users titled "Important info about your
Messenger account," Microsoft said Messenger's more than 100
million users can migrate to Skype by signing in with their
Microsoft accounts and enjoy features like instant messaging,
video calling on cell phones and screen sharing.

Microsoft acquired the VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol)
service Skype in May 2011 for 8.5 billion U.S. dollars and planned
to gradually merge it into its every product, like Xbox and
Windows Phone.

Last November, the software giant announced it will move
Messenger's users to Skype in the first quarter of 2013 with the
exception of Chinese mainland where Messenger will continue to be
available.

Microsoft's Messenger service is often referred as "MSN" as it
was first launched as "MSN messenger" in 1999.

In June 2009, on the 10th anniversary of Messenger's release,
Microsoft said the service attracted over 330 million active users
each month worldwide.

Customer Service in the Age of the CloudThe ability to provide excellent customer service matters more than ever, given the expectations of consumers today. Take a recent report from Microsoft on the state of customer service, for example ...

Gilbane Company BuildingGilbane works on large construction projects that typically last about 1-3 years. As a result, project trailers need to be equipped with a state-of-the-art phone solution but capital cost constraints prohibit purchasing equipment that
will only be used for a few years...

Fusion360 & FusionWorksFusion offers a 360 degree view of the communications solutions your company needs to succeed. Fusion360 provides you with the stability of a traditional PBX phone system and the advanced unified communications features that only a next generation ...

MobileConnectFusion offers a 360 degree view of the communications solutions your company needs to succeed ...